Best Cities for Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenderss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where metal-refining furnace operators and tenderss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	MinnesotaState	1.42	$75,880	$77,429	20%
2	New JerseyState	1.27	$75,020	$68,952	29%
3	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.26	$74,060	$68,701	29%
4	KentuckyState	1.23	$59,040	$66,712	19%
5	West VirginiaState	1.23	$56,290	$66,853	18%
6	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.21	$60,810	$65,741	23%
7	IndianaState	1.18	$58,300	$64,420	22%
8	North CarolinaState	1.18	$60,780	$64,386	26%
9	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.18	$61,780	$64,489	29%
10	Columbus, OHMetro	1.18	$59,950	$64,118	26%
11	IowaState	1.17	$57,030	$63,935	20%
12	MissouriState	1.15	$55,480	$62,619	22%
13	OregonState	1.15	$64,410	$62,534	30%
14	TennesseeState	1.15	$57,490	$62,831	26%
15	AlabamaState	1.14	$54,260	$62,296	21%
16	OhioState	1.12	$55,080	$60,929	23%
17	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.12	$63,170	$61,034	30%
18	UtahState	1.11	$60,510	$60,389	30%
19	ArizonaState	1.09	$59,830	$59,296	30%
20	New YorkState	1.09	$66,440	$59,058	33%
21	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.09	$57,030	$59,283	33%
22	WashingtonState	1.08	$62,850	$58,574	36%
23	NebraskaState	1.06	$52,800	$57,705	24%
24	PennsylvaniaState	1.06	$55,910	$57,639	28%
25	NevadaState	1.04	$56,790	$56,677	31%
26	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.03	$51,330	$56,283	28%
27	OklahomaState	1.01	$48,890	$55,243	24%
28	VirginiaState	1.01	$57,000	$55,072	33%
29	New MexicoState	1.00	$50,260	$54,630	25%
30	MassachusettsState	0.99	$58,480	$53,899	46%
31	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.99	$53,130	$53,939	39%
32	CaliforniaState	0.97	$58,310	$52,674	47%
33	IllinoisState	0.96	$51,020	$52,382	31%
34	WisconsinState	0.96	$48,260	$52,286	27%
35	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.96	$50,990	$52,459	37%
36	GeorgiaState	0.94	$47,750	$51,124	36%
37	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	0.94	$58,290	$50,997	45%
38	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.92	$56,710	$49,965	54%
39	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.92	$58,310	$50,052	47%
40	KansasState	0.91	$44,800	$49,778	28%
41	FloridaState	0.90	$49,780	$49,044	41%
42	TexasState	0.90	$46,670	$48,818	36%
43	MichiganState	0.89	$44,900	$48,646	30%
44	South CarolinaState	0.88	$44,160	$48,000	34%
45	ConnecticutState	0.86	$50,510	$46,942	37%
46	MississippiState	0.86	$39,610	$46,710	27%
47	ArkansasState	0.85	$39,920	$46,257	26%
48	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.85	$44,700	$46,178	43%
49	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.84	$49,410	$45,539	50%
50	New HampshireState	0.80	$46,380	$43,755	41%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).